


Converging Worlds

by Francis_Pomodoro



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Crossover, Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-08-20 12:48:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20228110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Francis_Pomodoro/pseuds/Francis_Pomodoro
Summary: Kirishima had been too busy training to be a hero to think about the possibility of other worlds. He had more important things to worry about.Aang had considered it, and shrugged it off. One world to look after was a big enough handful already.Riki had wholeheartedly hoped it was true. His world was boring.One day the skies over their worlds were ripped away. When it returned, there was only one sky, and one world.A big old crossover fic.





	1. Beginnings

Kirishima blinked, and the ceiling of the classroom came into focus. That was strange. He was sure he’d been sitting up a minute ago. Why was he lying down now? 

If he’d fainted in class, he would have expected people to be gathered around him, but no one was. And he wasn’t feeling the sense of menace that Aizawa would have exuded if he’d fallen asleep in class.

He tried to think back to the last few minutes, and found them strangely hazy. He’d been sitting in class, and then…

Kirishima snapped upright, his chest suddenly tight with fear. 

It seemed like the sky had split open. He could vaguely remember the roof of the classroom peeling off. Then the horror of seeing his classmates pulled up into the massive rift that had come from  _ somewhere _ , and the absolute terror of losing his grip and flying up into the sky with them. Then suffocating blackness as he entered the rift.

And then he’d woken up on the floor, looking at the roof that had been ripped away a minute ago.

Kirishima jumped as a slam echoed from behind him, and turned to find Aizawa, hands firmly planted on his desk, breathing heavily, and looking more worried than Kirishima had ever seen him look before.

There was a stir of activity around the room as a few of his classmates pulled themselves up off the floor, awakened by Aizawa slamming his hands onto the desk.

There were more there than Kirishima had been expecting after seeing them all sucked into a black hole in the sky that went who knows where, but it was a lot less than the nineteen other teenagers it should have been.

Looking out the window really drove home that something weird was going on. 

U.A.’s grounds were as they had been that morning. Beyond them was a different story.

An expanse of glimmering blue water formed an ocean that might have been hidden behind buildings before, or might have spontaneously popped into existence. Whichever it was, it hadn’t been visible before. 

The massive statue of a bald monk definitely hadn’t been there before.

Mineta voiced Kirishima’s thoughts perfectly.

“_What the hell is going on?_”

“What happened? I feel like Appa sat on my head.”

Aang was too busy trying to control his stomach to reply to Sokka’s question. 

“I’m not quite sure. The sky turned black, Appa couldn’t escape, and then.. We ended up here. Wherever here is.” That was Katara. “Are you ok sweetie?”

“I’ll be fine, just give me a minute.”

His stomach heaved again. Whatever had happened, his body was not happy about it. By the sounds of it, he was feeling it worse than the rest of the group. Maybe it was something Avatar related? He still didn’t know everything about being the avatar, though he doubted any of the previous avatars had been sucked in by a mysterious black rip in the sky.

“Are you ok Toph?” Katara called out.

“Just peachy,” came the biting reply from somewhere behind him. Toph didn’t sound happy, but she didn’t sound hurt, which was enough for Aang to put her out of his mind for now.

He gave up trying to keep his breakfast down, greatly thankful for whoever had put a gutter nearby. He wasn’t sure where he was, but puking on the street was probably not a good move.

“Katara? Toph?” A voice he didn’t recognise asked from nearby, sounding extremely shocked. 

Wiping his mouth out, Aang looked up.

The speaker was from the water tribe, judging by the clothes she was wearing. She was staring at him with wide eyes, clutching onto a nearby pole for support, and looking extremely pale.

“Avatar Aang?” she said incredulously.

“Yep, that’s me.” He forced a smile onto his face, despite the sudden pressure building behind is eyes. “I’m sorry, but do I know you?”

“Well, um, kinda, but not really.” She said shakily. “We’ve only really met in dreams and visions. Damn, that sounds creepy.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember anything like that.”

“That’s probably because it hasn’t happened for you yet.” She said, clearly flustered. “I’m sorry, I started this off badly. Let’s start again. Hi, I’m Avatar Korra.”

Riki stared up at a sky unmarred by a black rip, and smiled. Guess he wouldn’t be dying today after all. And judging by the fact he was lying on grass, surrounded by the rustling of leaves, he wasn’t where he had been before. 

Things were looking up.

Confusing as he found his current situation, he wasn’t going to complain. He’d spent that past few years trudging through his boring life, longing for an adventure, and now that life had dropped one in his lap, he wasn’t going to whine about it.

He stood up and inspected his surroundings. 

He was in a clearing, presumably in the middle of a forest. There was no clear path out of it, and no sign of civilization that he could see.

Maybe adventure wasn’t going to be that easy to find after all.

Wait, no, there were a few lines of smoke on the horizon, barely visible against the white clouds that hung peacefully on the horizon. It was the type of smoke that indicated a human settlement of some form. There wasn’t enough for it to be coming from a wildfire, and there was too much for just one campfire to be making it.

If he was going to find adventure, he was going to find it there.

Confidently he set off through the woods towards the settlement.

Adventure awaited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read my fic!  
Riki is an OC character who doesn't belong to any fandom. He's here to provide a more 'normal" viewpoint (as in he comes from a world the same as ours, so everything that would be unusual for someone from this world will be unusual to him).  
Once again, thanks for reading, and have a great day/afternoon/evening/night!


	2. Reunion

Appa dipped below the clouds, headed for a lone island in the middle of the glistening blue sea. Aang gripped the reigns, eyes fixed on the temple rising up from the centre of the island. His stomach had settled down, but he was still feeling sick.

For so long he’d hoped to find more airbenders. He’d visited all the air temples looking for survivors, and never found any. Only bones and ruins.

If what Korra told him was true, for the first time in years he was going to see other airbenders. Actual, living airbenders.

He was more than a bit nervous, and just as equally excited.

Speaking of Korra, he still wasn’t sure what to think of her. She’d proven she was the avatar. No one else could bend all four elements after all.

It was disconcerting to think he was dead. Or at least, he was going to be dead. Or did him being here now change that? He still had no idea what was going on with the world. It was pretty clear it wasn’t the way it used to be.

It would be nice to have someone to talk to that understood what it was like being responsible for the whole world. It was a shame her being him, or at least a reincarnated version of him, made things kind of awkward. It was hard for him to look at her, and not see his own impending death, whether it would be tomorrow, or in a hundred years time.

Korra was sitting apart from the rest of the group, staring off into space in between awkwardly glancing towards him. He guessed this was as weird for her as it was for him.

Appa gently touched down on the open plaza besides the temple, and Korra slid down his tale with what looked like practiced ease. Did that mean there were more sky bison out there?

A bearded airbending master (Aang could tell from his tattoos. It had been so long since he’d seen someone with those tattoos who wasn’t looking back at him in a mirror) was too busy giving instructions to a group clad in the traditional yellow and orange of the airbenders to notice their arrival.

“Take a couple of other airbenders with you, and see if you can find out what caused that thing in the sky. See if there were any consequences, and if you must, help keep the peace. Don’t take any stupid risks. Especially you, Meelo.”

“Why’d he pick me out?” a short boy whispered to a girl that looked enough like him to be his sister.

“Probably something to do with the squirrel incident.” she whispered back.

The bearded master cleared his throat noisily. “You can talk later. This mission is very important, who knows what’s going on out there? People could be waiting for your help while you stand around talking. Get going.”

Judging from how they scrambled to obey him, he was well respected. He’d seemed a bit serious to Aang, but he couldn’t be too bad if he was so well liked by the other air benders.

“Tenzin!” Korra shouted, hurrying towards the master.

“Korra! Thank goodness you’re safe.” he turned towards her, obviously relieved, then stopped. “Where did you get that bison from? It looks just like…”

He was interrupted by Sokka sliding down noisily from Appa’s saddle.

“Do you think they’ve got some food around here? I’m starving. And my back is killing me!”

He stretched, and Aang winced at the cracking sound it made.

“Be quite Sokka, can’t you see they’re trying to have a conversation over there?” Katara followed him down gracefully, barely making a sound when her feet touched the ground. “Besides, you’re always hungry.”

Tenzin’s eyes widened, and his jaw hung open. All the confidence he’d had while addressing the other airbenders seemed to drain away before Aang’s eyes. 

“Mother?” he whispered.

“Huh? Did he just call you mother?” Sokka said to Katara.

It felt like the ground was slipping away beneath Aang’s feet. First he’d found out he was dead, and there was a new avatar, and now Katara had children older than both of them?

Wait, if Katara had children did that mean…?

He looked up, and found that Tenzin was staring at him.

“Father?” Tenzin took a tentative step forward. The world seemed to freeze around Aang, and he very much doubted that anything less than a full fledged firebender invasion would have distracted him at that moment.

“Go on,” Korra pushed Tenzin none too gently forwards, “I’m going to go find Bumi.”

“But-” Tenzin began, but Korra was already hurrying away towards the main temple complex.

It did nothing for Aang’s stomach to watch the person probably the best equipped to handle the situation walk away. She obviously knew Tenzin, and had mentioned meeting him in visions. Awkward as being around her was, Aang wished she would have stayed to help him deal with this even more awkward situation. 

Aang stared uncomfortably across the courtyard at Tenzin, and Tenzin stared awkwardly back.

So he was a father. This world was full of surprises.

How was he going to handle this? 

He had no idea where to start. The awkwardness of talking to his future child was only enhanced by the fact that said child looked to be at least twice Aang’s age.

Tenzin was an airbender, that much was made clear by the blue arrow tattooed on his forehead, but apart from that, his name, and that he was Aang’s son, he knew nothing about the man.

How long had Aang been in his life? Had they been close? Did Tenzin have any fears Aang would need to be aware of?

Had he been a good father?

Aang glanced sideways at Katara, hoping for her to take the lead, but she seemed at as much of a loss at what to do as he was.

The courtyard quickly filled with a choking silence.

“What’s this?” Sokka stepped forwards with his usual confidence. Everyone’s eyes swivelled to him. “No hello for good old Uncle Sokka? I don’t know anything about your childhood, but surely I was your coolest family member? I mean, no one else had,” he reached his arm around to his back, “a trusty boomerang? Right?” He brandished said boomerang proudly above his head.

“That’s the Uncle Sokka I knew.” Tenzin said, his shoulders relaxing, “Except you’re a lot younger than I remember. I don’t suppose there’s a reason for that?”

“I’m as old as I’ve ever been.” Sokka shrugged. “I’d say something funky happened to time.”

“Well, it’s good to see you again. I’ve missed you.” Tenzin looked at Aang and Katara. “I’ve missed all of you.”

Aang let himself relax slightly. Thanks to Sokka, a lot of the awkwardness of the situation had drained away. It was still strange, but now it was a lot more bearable than before, now that they'd broken the ice. Though he should probably do something if he wanted it to stay that way. But what if he made it worse?

There was only one way to find out.

He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get any words out, someone shouted “Dad!” and he was enveloped it a crushing bear hug.

Tenzin sighed, Sokka looked on incredulously, and Katara took a step towards him, concern written on her face.

“I’ve missed you so much!” A burly man sobbed into Aang’s chest, which required him to kneel on the ground because of how tall he was. Like Tenzin, he was wearing air nomad colours. Unlike Tenzin, he was almost broad as he was tall, had a full head of hair, and was a whole lot louder.

“Come on Bumi, you’re hugging him too tight. Let him get some air.” Korra gently shook Bumi’s shoulder, while shooting Aang a glance that was both apologetic and amused.

Bumi loosened his hold, and Aang could breathe again.

“Sorry,” came Bumi’s muffled reply. “You’re a lot shorter than I remember.”

“Ok.” Aang had no idea how to respond to that. This whole situation was outside the realm of his experience. “You look well.” He racked his brain for something else to say. Bumi was still hugging him, and it was getting kind of weird. Well, weirder. “You’ve certainly got a strong grip.” Another awkward pause. “Are you an airbender too?”

Bumi nodded into Aang’s chest.

Excitement pushed the awkwardness of the situation aside. It had been years since he’d talked to another airbender, and to be honest, he’d given up hope. But today, he’d talked to two of them, and seen several more.

Combined with the fact that they were his children, he had so much he wanted to say to them.

A glance sideways showed that Katara was approaching Tenzin. She and Sokka seemed to have his other son’s full attention.

Wow, it sounded weird to call people he’d never met his children. But they were. Somehow he could tell. He didn’t know how, but he knew he could trust the sense that was telling him this.

He looked down at his son. “I haven’t had another airbender to practise with in years. Would you like to run through some techniques with me?”

Bumi smiled up at him like he’d offered him so much more. “Yes!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine how awkward it would be having to talk to someone who's existence is only possible because of your own death. I'm glad I'm not Aang.  
Once again, thanks for reading!


	3. Instructions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a minor spoiler for the My Hero Academia manga.

“ _ What the hell is going on _ ?” Mineta screeched. “Where is everyone? Were they taken by a villain? Oh my god, are we next? What if we’re next?” He looked ready to cry out of sheer panic.

Aizawa’s capture weapon wrapped around Mineta’s mouth, silencing him. 

“Be quiet. Some of us are trying to think.” The worry Kirishima had seen on his teacher’s face moments before was gone, though he couldn’t say if Aizawa was just hiding it or not. “Alright. Stand up the lot of you. Let’s see who’s here.”

The sound of people rising to their feet echoed around the emptier than usual classroom.

There were only seven students in the classroom; Jiro, Sato, Aoyama, Sero, Hagakure, Mineta, and Kirishima himself.

“Damn it. Less than half.” Aizawa muttered to himself, before addressing the class. “If you could not panic, that would be appreciated,” he said, looking specifically at Mineta, who was still wrapped in his capture weapon. “Follow me. Let’s see if anyone else has any idea what’s going on.”

In the corridor an openly worried Vlad King was looking around, with a few members of class 1-B peering out the door behind him.

“Are you missing students too?” Aizawa looked down the hallway, where a few heads were cautiously poking their way out of doorways, gazing around with the same shock and bewilderment Kirishima felt.

Vlad King nodded grimly. Aizawa’s knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip on his capture weapon, now back around his neck after he’d released Mineta before leaving the classroom.

“What are we-” 

“Aizawa! Kan!”

1-B’s homeroom teacher was interrupted by a panting All Might, who looked like he’d just run a half marathon. A thin trickle of blood emerged from the corner of his mouth as he spoke. “Nezu wants us. He’s calling an emergency staff meeting.”

“What are we supposed to do with the students?” Vlad King asked, glancing back into his classroom.

“I’m sure they can handle themselves for a little while.” Aizawa was already moving down the hallway towards the staff room. “Students are missing, but there are no signs of a villain attack. Logically, they should be able to be left alone for now.” Aizawa moved his gaze from the other teachers to his class. “Don’t leave the classroom unless you have to. If there’s a problem, come and get me. Other than that, I’m sure you can entertain yourselves.”

Kirishima watched his teacher walk away. The man was hiding it well, but he was clearly stressed. His shoulders were more hunched than usual, and his voice had extra bite to it.

Vlad King looked back at his class. “The same goes for you guys. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” He followed Aizawa down the hallway, hiding his stress much more poorly than the other teacher had. 

“I’m sure you’re all worried for your missing classmates. I know I am.” All Might said somberly, “But rest assured, your teachers and I will find them.” The skeletal teacher turned and followed his workmates down the hall.

“They can’t expect us to just sit quietly!” Mineta broke the silence that had fallen on the hallway after the teachers left. “What if villains attack? Maybe that’s where everyone else has gone; the villains have got them!”

“Quit fear mongering Mineta.” Jiro jabbed Mineta’s face with one of her earphone jacks. “The teachers aren’t worried about villains, and they’ve got way more experience with his type of thing than us.”

“Yeah man!” Kirishima piped up with more enthusiasm than he felt. “The teachers will sort this all out. Just give them some time and some trust.”

His words had been aimed at Mineta, but he couldn’t help but feel buoyed up by them. The teachers would know what to do. They were heroes after all. This type of thing should be right up their alley.

The door of the classroom hissed open, causing Hagakure to drop her cards with a squeal. Kirishima looked up from what he was sure was a winning hand. It seemed a little early for the teachers to be back.

A purple haired boy peered cautiously into the room.

“Oh, it’s you Shinso.” Sero said.

“Is Aizawa around?” Shinso asked, “Or is he, you know.”

“He’s in a meeting with the other teachers.” Sato piped up from across the table. “Shouldn’t you be in your own classroom?” 

“Probably. No one’s told me that though.”

“Is your teacher…?” Jiro asked.

“Yeah, and everyone else in my class. That's why I came looking for Aizawa.”

That must have sucked, to wake up and have everyone around you gone. It was bad enough that most of Kirishima’s class was missing. He couldn’t imagine what he would have done if they’d all been gone.

“Aizawa should be back soon.” He said. “You might as well hang around in here. You’ll be in the hero course next year anyway.”

“Cool.” Shinso plopped himself down in the nearest empty desk and pulled out his phone.

It wasn’t much, but the extra person in the room put Kirishima at just a little bit more at ease. There still wasn’t the twenty people there should be, but it was one person closer than before.

The classroom door slid open again an hour later, and Aizawa stepped in. The room became silent as everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him expectantly.

Aizawa moved behind his desk before speaking.

“There is no sign of the missing students on campus.”

Kirishima’s stomach sank. He knew it had been unrealistic to hope that they’d just been scattered throughout the school, but he’d still hoped that was the case. The emptiness of the room seemed to grow.

“As you can all tell by looking out the window,” Aizawa continued, “We are no longer in Musutafu. Until we figure out where we are, students are not permitted to leave the school grounds. Classes are temporarily postponed, though it would be wise to continue developing your combat skills. We don’t know what type of world we’re in now, and as such, you should be ready to defend yourself if the need arises.”

Mineta let out a small whimper.

“I’m not trying to scare you.” Aizawa’s voice softened. “But in situations like this, when nothing is clear, it’s best to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. The other teachers and I will be doing our best to find your missing classmates.”

“Sensei!” Kirishima realised he was standing. “You can’t expect us to just sit back while our friends are missing!”

Aizawa rubbed his face. “I know you won’t like it, but until we know what’s going on, it’s the most logical course of action. The teachers here have been entrusted with your safety, it’s our duty to make sure we protect you. We’ve failed enough at that recently.”

“Sensei, you haven’t failed, no one could have seen this coming.”

“We should have prepared. Whichever way you look at it, students who it was our job to protect are missing, so we’ve failed.”

Kirishima’s reply was cut off by Hagukure’s call. “Sensei, a group of people are coming through the gate.”

Everyone in the room hurried over to the window, the argument temporarily abandoned.

A group of people in strange metal armor were walking up the path that led to the entrance of the main building. They seemed tense, but not aggressive, and walked with confidence.

“What should we do sensei?” Sero asked, eyeing the group nervously.

“Stay put, and let the teachers handle this.” Aizawa was already part way out the door. “We’ll continue that discussion when I get back.”

Left behind again. That didn’t sit well with Kirishima. What type of man would he be if he sat back while his friends were who knows where, facing unknown dangers. But what type of man would he be if he ignored his teacher’s orders without a good reason?

He’d sit tight for now, but as soon as the opportunity to help in anyway arose, he was going to take it. He’d get his friends and classmates back, wherever they were. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have said this at the beginning, but this fic will contain manga spoilers for My Hero Academia.  
Thanks again for reading!


	4. Employment

It took longer to reach the village than Riki had anticipated. The forest was easy enough to walk through, but the dense foliage above his head made keeping track of the smoke difficult, and he had to find a clearing to reorient himself a few times.

Not only that, the closer he got to the village, the steeper the ground became. Rocky outcrops thrust upwards from the ground, and made travelling in the right direction even more difficult.

Eventually he stumbled on a grass path that led to a dirt track, which in turn took him to a flagstone road that snaked its way up the hill in the direction of the smoke.

Wooden buildings began to mix with the trees of the forest. A chicken hurried across the road in front of him. In the distance a cow lowed. A weather-worn sign proclaimed he was now entering Sleethill. 

A few tired looking villagers eyed him warily as he moved further into the town. A cart trundled past, stacked high with hay.

The center of the village was a paved square. On Riki’s left a surly blacksmith hammered at a misshapen hunk of metal outside his shop. Ahead of him was what he assumed was the town hall. It was the largest and fanciest building he’d seen in the town so far.

On his right a two story building was identified as the Sleethill Inn by painted sign nailed to its side.

The village was smaller than he’d hoped. It hardly looked like the exciting adventure filled settlement he’d first pictured when he’d seen the smoke.

“ _ It could be worse _ ,” he told himself. “ _ It could have been a couple of rundown shacks with a big bonfire in the middle. _ ”

Regardless of how he felt about the place, he’d have to take what he could get. Surely it couldn’t be more boring than his world had been, right?

He’d just have to make the best of it that he could. Besides, the sun looked only a few hours from setting, and he didn’t fancy wandering around the forest looking for a better place in the dark.

The inn seemed like the best place to start. If he was going to be an adventurer, he was going to need gear, and to get gear he’d need money. To get money, he’d need a job.

Back in his world he’d had a friend whose parents owned a bar, and they always had something that needed doing to keep the place running smoothly. Riki was sure this inn would be the same.

The door opened with barely a sound. At one end of the common room that took up most of the lower floor a fire burned in a river stone hearth. At the other was the bar, behind which a short but stocky barkeeper was organising bottles on a shelf.

In one of the corners a bard strummed softly at a lute, singing more to himself than the room’s handful of other occupants.

Riki made his way across the well swept floor and over to the bar. The bartender turned, bottle in hand, and eyed Riki up.

“What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for work.” Riki leaned up against the bar in what he hoped was a confident looking way. He’d never applied for a job before, so he was going off what he’d seen on TV or read in books.

“Are you now? Well then, I wish you the best of luck.” The bartender turned back the shelf and resumed shuffling the bottles around.

“Wait, surely you’ve got a job that needs doing, right? This is a big place, you must need help with something.” Riki straightened up. Maybe the confident approach hadn’t been the way to go.

“That’s what I have barmaids for.” The bartender said without turning around.

“But they can’t do everything, right?” Asking wasn’t working. He’d try pleading. “Please, I’ve got nowhere to go. There must be something I can do, even if it’s just to get somewhere to stay for tonight.”

The bartender breathed out hard, then put the bottle currently in his hand back on the shelf. 

“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that. Fine, I’ll take pity on you. You look like you need it, especially with those clothes.”

Riki hadn’t really thought about that. His clothes didn’t exactly blend in with those of the locals, in colour or style.

“There’s an axe by the door, and a stack of logs out the back. If you can cut enough firewood, you can have a meal, and sleep here tonight, and I’ll consider taking you on for longer. If you can’t, well then you’ll have wasted your time, and be out of luck.”

“Thank you.” Riki was already heading for the door the barkeep had gestured to. He’d never cut wood before, but how hard could it be? He’d get himself a job here, and start adventuring soon after. Things were looking up.

Cutting wood was harder than he’d thought it would be. It was hard to keep his grip on the axe when he swung it downwards, and his strikes weren’t having much effect on the wood. His arms ached from repeatedly lifting the axe up, and from the jarring impacts.

He’d only managed to cut one piece of wood, and the sun was almost below the tops of the trees that lined the mountains surrounding the village.

“You’re doing it wrong.”

He looked up, taking the opportunity to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

The most unusual girl he’d ever seen was watching him from across the inn’s courtyard.

Thin horns poked from her pink hair, which was a few shades darker than her skin. Her eyes were completely black apart from her golden irises.

In her arms she held a basket of freshly washed bedclothes. 

“You’re supposed to start with one hand further down the handle, then slide it down as you swing the axe. Like this.” She put the basket down on the ground, then mimed the technique with an imaginary axe. “And try stepping forwards when you swing. You’ll get more force that way.”

It seemed weird to change his grip partway through swinging the axe, but Riki was willing to try if it would make cutting the wood easier.

He wrapped his aching fingers around the axe’s wooden handle once more, took a step back from the log he was trying to cut, then swung, using the strange girl’s technique.

The axe easily cleaved through the wood, and thunked down onto the log below.

“Huh.” Riki looked up once more. “Thanks for the advice.”

“No problem. He had me cutting wood when I started out here too. He might pretend to be all tough, but he’s really a big softy. Don’t tell him I said that though.”

“I won’t.” Now that he knew how to properly do it, cutting enough wood to meet the barkeeper’s expectations didn’t seem as impossible a task as it had before. “How long have you been here for?”

“Only a couple of days. I’m new in town too.” She picked the basket back up from the ground.

“How’d you know that?”

“The clothes make it kinda obvious. No one from around here dresses like that.”

Riki glanced down at what he was wearing. In his world a hoodie and sweatpants weren’t at all unusual, but he hadn’t seen anyone wearing anything remotely close to them since he’d entered town.

“I’m Ashido by the way.”

“Riki.”

Ashido glanced at the sun. “You should probably get cutting if you want to be done by sundown. And I should probably get going.” Ashido turned and resumed walking towards the inn’s main building.

“Right. Thanks for your help.” Riki chucked the cut wood onto his pitifully small pile, then picked up another uncut log.

Now that he was using it correctly, the axe sliced easily through the logs, and he soon had a sizeable stack of cut wood. Despite how busy his hands were, he found his mind wandering.

When he’d woken up in that forest clearing earlier today, he’d just accepted it. Embraced it as a way to get closer to his dream, even. He hadn’t given too much thought to how he’d gotten there. But something had definitely caused that black rip in the sky, and he was willing to bet whatever it was probably didn’t have his best interests in mind. If it had even been caused by something with a mind.

And Ashido. She definitely wasn’t from his world; no one in his world had skin that pink. Or horns. But she didn’t seem to come from Sleethill either. He hadn’t been in the village for long, but everyone he’d seen there looked like what he thought of as normal. If they’d put on a different change of clothes, they would’ve blended seamless with a crowd in his world.

Ashido had said she’d only been in town for a couple of days. Had she too found herself in a strange new world? And if so, just how many different worlds had people been sucked out of and dropped into this one from?

All he could do for now was wonder, and cut wood.

“It’s not an incredible amount, but it’ll do.” The bartender said. “you've got yourself a meal and a place to sleep, and a job if you want it.”

“Thank you sir, I won’t let you down.” Riki’s hands were aching, and had a multitude of splinters buried in them, but he’d gotten what he wanted.

“No need to start with this sir stuff. If you have to call me something, call me Morris.”

“Thank you Morris.”

“Don’t worry about it. Come on in and I’ll get you your pay.”

His pay consisted of a bowl of stew, a heel of bread, and a place to sleep in the rafters above the inn’s common room.

Riki wolfed down the food, barely tasting it in his haste. He’d never been so ready to go to sleep in his life. Walking to the village then cutting firewood made muscle groups he’d never used before to crawl out of the woodwork of his body to complain to his brain about how much they hurt. He hadn’t been one to exercise before, and he was regretting it now.

His bed for the night was a hammock strung up between the rafters above the inn’s common room. There were several scattered around the roof area, connected by a walkway that wound in between the low beams.

The smell of cooking meat and smoke, and the sound of laughter and song drifted up from the common room below, along with a meager amount of flickering light from the candles and fireplace. Normally it would have bothered Riki, but tonight he was too tired to care.

He collapsed into his hammock, and prepared to sleep for as long as he could.

“Hitting the hay already?” Ashido’s face popped up over the side of his hammock.

“Yep.” Riki wanted to sleep so badly, but it would be rude not to talk to the person who’d helped him get his bed. “I thought you’d be down there helping Morris out.”

“He’s given me a short break. So, you obviously cut enough wood then. Did he offer you a job.”

“Yep, and I took it.”

“Nice. Well I look forward to working with you then.”

“ASHIDO” Morris's voice boomed up from below, “Break time is over. Back to work.”

“Welp. Gotta go.” Ashido slipped back into the darkness.

He hadn’t realised until now, but this was the first job he’d ever had. He hadn’t expected to enter the workforce as a woodcutter in a village from another world.

Life was full of surprises. That was what made it interesting.

His mind finally gave up on staying awake, and the already dark rafters above him faded to black as sleep overtook him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading!


	5. Departures

Toph watched Aang walk away with his son. Or rather, she sensed the vibrations from their footsteps that traveled through their bodies, giving her a pretty decent picture of what they were doing. 

Over the other side of the courtyard, Katara was talking with her and Aang’s other son, with an obviously excited Sokka doing his best to be involved in the conversation.

It was weird to think Aang and Katara would, had even, ended up having a family. Sure, they’d been in a relationship for a while now, but she’d never thought about were it might lead to.

Speaking of where people’s lives had led them to, here came twinkle toes the second.

She still wasn’t sure how she felt about Korra. On one hand, she was a constant walking reminder of the impending death of one of Toph’s best friends. On the other, she hadn’t chosen to be born as the avatar, and had in no way caused Aang’s death. However his death had happened.

“This is weird, huh?” Korra took a seat on the ground beside her, leaning up against Appa’s fur covered flank. “I mean, that black rift opening up in the sky was crazy, and now there’s… this.” Korra gestured to the courtyard ahead of them.

“Yeah. I never thought about them having a family in the future. I mean, it’s not like I wasn’t expecting it, I just, never thought about it I guess.”

“Well, why would you? You had so many other things on your mind. Like defeating firelord Ozai. Or starting your metal bending school.”

“Still, I should have thought about it.” Toph placed her feet onto the pleasantly cool paving stones of the courtyard, and felt the range of her sense of vibrations expand. “I didn’t think they’d break up or anything, but start a family? I just didn’t consider it.”

“Fair enough I guess. It’s not something I’ve ever thought much about, and I’m older than you.” Appa shifted slightly as Korra lent further back against him. “They’re not the only ones who had a family, you know.”

“What, Sokka? Doubt it.”

“I’m talking about you.”

Breathing suddenly became a whole lot harder for Toph. She felt like her breakfast was about to join Aang’s in the gutter. The world narrowed in around her.

“You ended up having two daughters.” Korra continued. “Both of them are in the city at the moment.”

“Really? I can’t wait to meet them.” Toph said through clenched teeth. She really could. 

She’d never wanted a family. She’d never needed one before, and she didn’t need one now.

“I’m sure they won’t be able to wait to meet you either, once they hear that you’re here.”

“Where is here exactly though?” Toph hoped Korra would accept her not so subtle shift of conversation.

“I guess it probably wasn’t around when you’re from. This Republic City. It’s part of the United Republic of Nations, which is what the old fire nation colonies in the earth kingdom got turned into. It’s not controlled by any of the other nations; it’s a separate country under its own control.”

An idea was taking shape in Toph’s mind. “That sounds so cool!”

“It is! I love this city, and I’m sure you will too.”

The vibrations from around the courtyard showed that everyone else was still engrossed in their respective conversations.

“Could you take me to the city?” Toph turned to Korra. It didn’t really matter to her, but facing people when she asked them for stuff seemed to get her better results. “These guys are all busy, and I don’t want to wait for them to explore it.”

Korra sat up and looked around the courtyard. “I doubt any of these guys will miss us. Let’s go.”

By the time Aizawa reached the front door of the school, Nezu was already talking with the visitors. 

“Aizawa, just in time.” The mouse-like principal turned as he approached. “This is Lin Beifong, chief of police of the city we’ve found ourselves deposited in. Ms Beifong, this is Shota Aizawa, one of the teachers here at U.A.”

Aizawa nodded to Lin. He’d come prepared to talk, but since Nezu was already here, he’d let the principal do the speaking.

Lin raised an eyebrow, presumably at his scruffy appearance. Aizawa had gotten used to that over the years.

Aziawa sized her up as she turned to resume speaking with the principal. She seemed like the no-nonsense type, which he could respect. Her grey hair was cut short neatly, and out of her eyes. The armour she wore was well maintained, and looked like it had been freshly polished. Despite her neat appearance, the way she carried herself made it clear she was from a desk jockey.

“You were telling me how your school ended up in the middle of Republic City, Principal Nezu.” She said tersely.

“Ah yes. In all honesty, I have no idea how U.A. was transported to your city, or even your world. I certainly didn’t cause it to happen, and I very much doubt any of my staff would have either. Rest assured, I will be doing my best to determine the cause, and if possible, reverse it. Until then, I’d appreciate if you didn’t arrest me, my staff, or any of our students.” The principal said, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

“If you don’t break the laws of the city, we shouldn’t have a problem. The President will probably want to meet with you at some point, but I can’t say when.”

“You can tell the president I look forward to meeting with them. The only problem with the current situation is that I am unaware of the laws currently in place within this city. Perhaps you could enlighten me over a cup of tea?”

The chief police hid her surprise at the invitation well. “I’m afraid I don’t have the time. I’ll organise one of my officers to bring you a copy of our laws. Until then, I’ll give the benefit of the doubt in any incidents that may occur. Unless there is anything else, that’s all I need from you for now.”

“No, that should be all. Good day, Ms Beifong.” Nezu dipped his head, and Aizawa followed suit a second later.

“Good day, Principal Nezu.”

“She seems reasonable.” Aizawa said as he and Nezu watched the police walk out of the gates of the school.

“She certainly is logical.” Nezu rubbed his nose thoughtfully. “I’d say we shouldn’t have any problems with her, unless we deserve it.”

“Speaking of problems, I should probably get back to my class.” The main problem child might have been missing, but any one of Aizawa’s students were more than capable of giving him a headache by themselves

“Give them what hope you can for their missing classmates.” Nezu said. “As I said before, I’ll be doing my best to solve this mystery.”

The flight to the city took longer than Toph would have liked. She was itching to get away from the city, even the short delay between the island and the city grated with her. 

The moment Appa’s feet touched the ground, she was dropping out of his saddle and onto the ground.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said to Korra, who was still sitting on top of Appa’s head.

“Hey Toph,” Toph turned to face Korra. It had almost become an instinct for her to look at who was talking, despite how pointless it felt to her. It was a habit she’d picked up over time. “You’re not planning on coming back, are you?”

“What gives you that idea?” Toph tried to hide her surprise. She’d thought she’d done a good job at hiding what she was feeling.

“I’ve done the same thing before. I ended up running away from everything; my duties as the avatar, my friends, my family, the places I’d known.”

“Then maybe you can understand why I want to do this. And why I’m going to fight you if you try to stop me.”

“I’m not going to stop you. I just want you to know, I think there’s a better way to handle your issues than running from them.”

“I’m not running.” Toph snapped at her. “I’m just not dealing with problems I shouldn’t have to. I didn’t ask to be dropped into this messed up world.”   
“I felt that same way. But eventually, I had to come back. It was you who helped me come back, in fact.”

“No it wasn’t. That was me from the future. I’m completely different.” What did future her know anyway? It was her fault Toph had a family now. Besides, from the looks of it, future her wasn’t around anyway.

“I don’t think you’re as different as you would like to believe.”

“Well, you just keep thinking that.” Toph turned away, and started walking. “Thanks for the ride.”

“The way out of the city is that way.”

“I knew that.”

“Take care of yourself Toph.”

“You too Korra.”   
Toph turned, and began again. She was aware of Korra watching her leave, but she didn’t look back. Mostly because she didn’t need to.

She didn’t know how far she was going to walk. Far enough to get away from the problems future her had created. There was only one way to find out how far that was.


End file.
